Dosso Dossi. The frieze of Aeneas

The exhibition Dosso Dossi. The frieze of Aeneas at the Galleria Borghese, curated by Marina Minozzi, presents the precious canvases that made up the series of ten paintings depicting scenes from Virgil's Aeneid.

For the work, the artist drew inspiration from the first part of the Aeneid, choosing specific episodes from different passages of the poem, represented with an unmistakable style. Characterized by vivid colors and original compositions, the canvases show the expression of the creativity of Dosso Dossi and of the artistic environment of Ferrara in the sixteenth century, which acquired a new vitality in the great age of the Baroque. The exhibition is based on a collaboration between international institutions involving the museums that conserve the different parts of the frieze gathered for the occasion: the Louvre, the Abu Dhabi Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, the National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.), the Prado Museum. Dosso Dossi (1490 - 1542), pseudonym of Giovanni Francesco di Niccolò Luteri, was one of the leading Renaissance painters in Ferrara, and is known for his enigmatic and allegorical style. The artist worked for a long time for the Este family in Ferrara, at the court of Duke Alfonso (1476-1534) and that of his son, Duke Ercole II (1508-1559), achieving a prominent place among Ferrarese painters. Part of his works created for the court of Alfonso were born from the collaboration with the court poet, Ludovico Ariosto. Dosso Dossi created numerous allegorical works of a mythological nature, frescoes and portraits, but he was also much appreciated for his pastoral landscapes. These works reveal the influence of Venetian landscape painters, such as Titian and Giorgione.

Photo credits: courtesy of Borghese Gallery official site